System and method for dispensing soap

ABSTRACT

An automatic fluid soap dispensing apparatus and method comprising a dispensing spout, housing operatively connected to the dispensing spout and the housing adapted to removably receive and hold a fluid soap containing reservoir module in communication with the dispensing spout. The reservoir module has a central axis, and includes a pump mechanism and delivery tube mounted on the reservoir module in alignment with the central axis. The dispensing tube is adapted to move in the dispensing spout when the pump mechanism is actuated.

This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 09/525,976,filed Mar. 15, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,467,651 which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Applications Nos. 60/154,101 filed Sep. 15,1999 and 60/156,987 filed Oct. 1, 1999.

The invention relates generally to automatically operated devices torepeatedly dispense fluid material from a replaceable reservoir, andmore particularly to a fluid dispensing apparatus and method thatdispenses fluid material automatically in response to sensing thepresence of a user.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Users of modem public washroom facilities increasingly desire that eachof the fixtures in the washroom operate automatically without beingtouched by the user's hands. This is important in view of increased userawareness of the degree to which germs and bacteria may be transmittedfrom one person to another in a public washroom environment. Today, itis not uncommon to find public washrooms with automatic, hands-freeoperated toilet and urinal units, hand washing faucets, soap dispensers,hand dryers and door opening mechanisms. This automation allows the userto avoid touching any of the fixtures in the facility, and thereforelessens the opportunity for the transmission of disease carrying germsor bacteria resulting from manual contact with the fixtures in thewashroom.

It is also required that counter-mounted fluid soap dispensers in publicwashrooms include a soap reservoir that is readily replaceable whenempty, and is inexpensive to manufacture and maintain. Therefore, it isdesirable that the soap reservoir include a container that is easy toinstall in association with the permanent elements of the soapdispensing fixture, is held fast to the fixture, and is easy to removefrom the fixture when empty, and functions in coordination with theoperating elements of the fluid soap dispenser.

It is also desirable that a soap reservoir include a fluid soap deliverysystem that ensures the delivery of a uniform measured dose of fluidsoap to a user upon each automatic actuation of the fixture. Thereservoir and pump assembly must function as a unitary device to deliverconsistent measures of fluid soap from the reservoir to the user.

Several automatically operated washroom fluid soap dispensers have beendeveloped, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,935 (Celest), U.S. Pat.No. 4,938,384 (Pilolla), U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,150 (Lagargren), U.S. Pat.No. 4,722,372 (Hoffman), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,094 (Acklin), by way ofexample. However, these devices do not incorporate structural elementsthat desirably provide consistent operation, ease of installation andreplaceability, and low cost of manufacture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention works towards overcoming the above problems in priorcountertop fluid soap dispenser fixtures. The disclosed inventionpresents a fluid soap dispenser assembly that provides a consistentmeasured amount of fluid soap into the hands of a user. Towards this, anembodiment of the invention includes an elongated delivery tube directlyconnected to a reservoir container and pump assembly, which deliverytube moves axially within a rigid dispensing spout each time the fluidsoap dispenser is actuated.

The soap delivery tube and pump assembly are centrally mounted on thetop of a fluid soap reservoir container. As a result, a new deliverytube, pump assembly, and fluid soap container may be provided with afull soap reservoir assembly upon each replacement of an empty soapreservoir assembly. Moreover, as a result of the centrally disposedlocation of the elongated delivery tube and pump assembly on thereservoir container, the delivery tube may be readily extended axiallythrough a curved, rigid dispensing spout mounted to the countertop, andthe delivery tube may be readily rotated about its longitudinal axis forease of movement in the dispensing spout when the unitary reservoircontainer, pump assembly and delivery tube assembly are rotated duringinstallation of a new, full reservoir container and pump assembly.

The pump assembly mounted on the fluid soap reservoir of the inventionalso provides a pump actuator mechanism. The pump actuator mechanism mayinclude a laterally extending actuator portion of the pump assembly. Theactuator portion may permit the pump assembly and delivery tube to bemounted centrally with respect to the axis of the reservoir containerand the soap dispenser fixture elements. The pump actuator mechanism iscontrolled by a battery operated or other power activated drivemechanism. The drive mechanism is activated upon the sensing of thepresence of a user's hand at a position that is adjacent to thedispensing spout. This may be achieved by a reflective proximity sensorforming part of the soap dispensing fixture mounted above thecountertop.

The fluid soap reservoir container and pump assembly of the inventionalso provides advantages over fluid soap dispensing systems of the priorart. A standard manufactured pump assembly may be used in thefabrication of the reservoir module of the invention due to the centralposition of the pump and of the dispensing tube relative to the soapcontainer. This permits the reservoir module to be filled using standardbottle filling equipment found in the facilities of most contract bottlefillers. This application of standard equipment provides a substantialcost savings in the production of soap refill reservoir modules inaccordance with the invention.

The central location of the pump assembly and delivery spout on thereservoir module also permits rapid installation of the reservoir moduleon the motor housing of the dispenser by a simple rotation of the soapreservoir and pump assembly to complete a bayonet-type connection withthe fixed pump housing of the invention. Moreover, the construction ofthe reservoir and pump assembly enables the mass production of areliable refill unit.

The combination of the rigid dispensing spout and fluid soap deliverytube moveable inside the spout permits economy of construction not foundin prior automatic soap dispensers. The spring in the pump assemblymounted on the soap container provides the force to return the deliverytube to its start position after a dose of fluid soap has beendispensed. The spout configuration and construction is adapted toprovide ease of movement of the delivery tube in the spout, with aminimum of friction produced. The elongated delivery tube of theinvention is rigid enough to withstand hydraulic pressure developedduring the dispensing operation, and flexible enough to movesubstantially frictionless relative to the interior of the dispensingspout.

The motor housing of the invention mounts to a shank extending through acountertop, such that the housing may be readily rotated away from theunderside of the sink bowl, and away from plumbing fixtures. This is aresult of the central mounting of the operative components extendingfrom the reservoir module, through the motor housing, to the entrance tothe dispensing spout.

The invention also includes indicators to advise a maintenance operatorwhen the reservoir module is empty of fluid soap after a predeterminednumber of electronically metered doses of soap have been dispensed. Aseparate indicator advises when the system's batteries are low.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevation perspective view of the automatic soap dispenserof the invention, shown mounted in a washroom countertop;

FIG. 2 is a sectional elevation view of the automatic soap dispenser ofFIG. 1, taken along line 2—2;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the rigid spout andthreaded shank portion of the automatic soap dispenser of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the threaded shank portion of theinvention, taken along line 4—4 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the rigid spout and support shaft ofthe automatic soap dispenser of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the connection between the supportshaft and the motor housing and support assembly, taken along line 6—6in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a detail section view of the splined connection between thesupport shaft and motor housing and support assembly of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a top plan detail view of the clip adapted to removablyconnect the motor housing and support assembly to the support shaft ofthe invention;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the clip of FIG. 8, taken along line9—9;

FIG. 10 is a bottom plan detail view of the clip of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the clip of FIG. 8;

FIG. 12A is a sectional view of the support shaft connected to the motorhousing and support assembly of the present invention, showing themounting clip in its unlocked position, taken along line 12—12 of FIG.2;

FIG. 12B is a detailed section view of the support shaft connected tothe motor housing and support assembly of the present invention, showingthe mounting clip in a locked position, taken along line 12—12 of FIG.2;

FIG. 13 is a detail perspective view of the pump hammer of theinvention;

FIG. 14 is a detail elevation section view of the pump actuator of theinvention, shown positioned in the pump housing;

FIGS. 15A, 15B and 15C are detail schematic views showing the phases ofoperation of the pump hammer against the pump actuator flange uponactuation of the pump hammer of the invention;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the pump actuator of the invention,taken along line 16—16 in FIG. 17;

FIG. 17 is an elevation, partial section view taken along line 17—17 ofFIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional elevation view of the actuator of theinvention, taken along line 18—18 in FIG. 16;

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional elevation view of the actuator of theinvention, taken along line 19—19 in FIG. 17;

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional schematic elevation view of the pumpmechanism of the invention;

FIG. 21 is a bottom plan detail view of the mounting clip to removablyattach the reservoir module and pump assembly to the motor housing andsupport assembly of the invention;

FIG. 22 is a top plan detail view of the mounting clip of FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a perspective detail view of the mounting clip of FIG. 23;

FIG. 24 is an assembly elevation of view of the reservoir module andpump assembly of the invention;

FIG. 25 is a section view of the reservoir module and pump assembly ofFIG. 24, taken along line 25—25 of FIG. 24, with the pump mechanismshown only in outline;

FIG. 26 is a section view of the connection between the motor housingand support assembly, and the reservoir module and pump assembly of theinvention, taken along line 26—26 in FIG. 24;

FIG. 27 is a front and top perspective view of the reservoir module andpump assembly of the invention;

FIG. 28 is a partial section view of the pump actuator mechanism andcontainer neck of the invention;

FIG. 29 is a partial section view of the electric eye sensorinstallation of the invention;

FIG. 30 is a detail front elevation view of the outlet portion of therigid spout of the invention;

FIG. 31 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the circuitcontrolling the operation of the automatic soap dispenser of theinvention;

FIG. 32 is a flow chart of an embodiment of the method of dispensingsoap of the invention; and

FIG. 33 is an exemplary schematic diagram of the soap dispenser circuitof FIG. 31.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, an automatic fluid soap dispensing systemconstructed in accordance with the invention is generally designated bythe numeral 10. The fluid dispensing system 10 may include three majorassemblies: a spout and mounting shaft assembly 12, a motor housing andsupport assembly 14, and a reservoir module and pump assembly 16. Thefluid dispensing system 10 is shown mounted on a countertop 18 with asupport shaft 20 extending through an aperture 22 extending, where theaperture 22 is disposed through the countertop 18. Countertop 18 may bea sink countertop and support shaft 20 may be hollow (hollow portion 84)and threaded (external threads 76).

Support shaft 20 is fixed to, or may form a part of, rigid spout 24.Rigid spout 24 may include a base 25 abutting countertop 18, an upwardlyextending electronic eye housing portion 26, and a curved dispensingportion 28. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2, a resilient pad 27is disposed between base 25 of the spout 24, and the upper surface 29 ofcountertop 18. The outer end of curved dispensing portion 28 includes anindented outlet 30 (FIG. 1) having a spout opening 31 therein (FIG. 2)that may aid in dispensing soap. Housing portion 26 includes an opening32 covered by a transparent lens 34 behind which an electric eye sensor(or assembly) 36 (FIG. 2) is mounted in the housing portion 26, as willbe explained. Indicator lights 37 (FIG. 2) are also disposed behindtransparent lens 34 to signal a “battery low” and/or soap reservoir“empty” condition. Indicator lights may be light emitting diodes (LEDs).

A manually rotatable, internally threaded nut 38 engages the outerthreads 76 of support shaft 20 with mating internal threads 77 (FIG. 3).When rotated upwardly, nut 38 draws base 25 of rigid spout 24 down andagainst pad 27 so as to form a tight fitting engagement with countertop18. This may firmly mount spout and shaft assembly 12 to the countertop18. A lock washer 40 may be inserted between nut 38 and the underside 33of countertop 18. This arrangement may further assure that spout andshaft assembly 12 is firmly mounted to the countertop 18 to avoidmovement of the spout 24.

Motor housing and support assembly 14 may include pump housing 44 andmotor and actuator mechanism housing 46. Pump housing 44 includes acylindrically hollow interior 47 (FIG. 2) through which fluid soap maybe conveyed from reservoir and pump assembly 16 to opening 30 of spout24, as will be explained. A reservoir assembly mounting clip 48 islocated at the bottom of pump housing 44 to removably mount reservoirand pump assembly 16 to pump housing 44, as will be explained. Moreover,when fluid dispensing system 10 is fully assembled, motor housing andsupport assembly 14 may be removably attached to the lower end ofsupport shaft 20 by a shank clip 42, as will be explained with referenceto FIGS. 8-12.

As may be seen in FIG. 2, motor and actuator mechanism housing 46 mayinclude a motor 49, gear reduction train 51 and pump hammer 53. Theoperation of pump hammer 53 is described in detail with reference toFIGS. 2 and 15A, B, C. A switch control circuit 521 of FIG. 31 maycontrol the operation of motor 49. A connector wire 50 (FIG. 1 and FIG.4) electrically connects the electric eye assembly 36 in housing portion26 (FIG. 1 and FIG. 29) to the switch control circuit 521 (FIG. 31).

As seen in FIG. 1, fluid dispensing system 10 may also include adetached battery pack 52. The battery pack 52 is electrically connectedto motor and actuator mechanism housing 46 through wire 54 and wire 56.Attachment element 58 allows wire 54 to be removably connected to wire56 during installation of automatic fluid dispensing system 10. In analternate embodiment (not shown), battery pack 52 may be permanently orremovably attached to motor and actuator mechanism housing 46. In theillustrated embodiment, battery pack 52 holds a power supply to drivemotor 49 and operate the electronic components of electric eye assembly36.

The lower portion or end 260 of pump housing 44 may include structurethat contributes to releasably holding fluid soap reservoir container 60to motor housing and support assembly 14. Container 60 includes a topclosure 62 having an opening 63 therein through which pump mechanism 65extends (FIG. 2). In the illustrated embodiment, container 60 iscylindrically shaped around a central axis 64. Opening 63 in container60 is also centered around axis 64. Axis 64 may be thought of as alongitudinal axis. As will be explained, mounting clip 48 is adapted toreleasably and securely hold container 60 to pump housing 44.

FIG. 2, is a sectional vertical view of the automatic soap dispensertaken off of line 2—2 of FIG. 1. As seen, the rigid spout 24 may includea curved internal passageway 66 that extends from base 25 through thespout 24 to connect with the spout opening 31. When reservoir module andpump assembly 16 is attached to motor housing and support assembly 14,as shown in FIG. 2, a tube end 70 of elongated dispensing tube 68 willmove reciprocally in passageway 66 upon actuation of pump mechanism 65.Indented outlet 30 may include an indented portion 72 that is set backfrom a spout tip 74 of spout 24. The indented portion 72 may provide ashield around the tube end 70 of dispensing tube 68. The indentedportion 72 may prevent the tube end 70 from being viewed by a user whenthe tube end 70 of the dispensing tube 68 extends beyond the spoutopening 31.

Electronic eye housing portion 26 of spout 24 is located above baseportion 25. As may be seen in FIG. 5, tube end 70 may define an axisthat forms an angle with a line that is parallel to axis 64 as axis 64passes through support shaft 20. Moreover, opening 32 of housing portion26 may define an axis that extends in a direction facing an axis of thespout opening 31 to form an angle. As will be explained, the individualsensors infrared (IR) emitter 501 and IR detector 502 (FIG. 31) may beincluded as part of electric eye sensor 36 to detect the presence of auser's hands beneath the spout opening 31, and, in response, to activatea switch to initiate operation of fluid dispensing system 10, as will beexplained.

The surface 75 of internal passageway 66 is composed of a smoothmaterial to provide a substantially frictionless path for movement ofelongated dispensing tube 68 in passageway 66 during installation andremoval of reservoir module and pump assembly 14 and during eachactuation of the fluid dispensing system 10. In addition, the radius ofcurvature of internal passage 66 is configured to allow elongateddispensing tube 68 to slidably and smoothly move inside passage 66. Byway of example, in the illustrated embodiment, the radius of curvatureof passageway 66 is approximately two inches. Dispensing tube 68 is madeof LDPE (low density polyethylene), or other suitable material whichwill not react with the chemicals in the soap, and which provides asmooth outer surface to accommodate almost frictionless movement of tube68 in passageway 66.

Passageway 66 is centrally disposed in spout 24 throughout the length ofthe passageway 66 to define axis 64. As seen in FIG. 2, the axis 64 ofthe lower end of passageway 66 is aligned at one end with central axis64 of container 60. Thus, when elongated tube 68 and container 60 arerotated during installation of a full container 60, as will beexplained, tube 68 rotates in passageway 66 about central axis 64throughout the length of passageway 66. Since tube 68 is centrallylocated about axis 64, and is centrally located in passageway 66,container 60 is able to be rotated to be properly positioned relative topump housing 44 during installation and removal of container 60.

As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, support shaft 20 has external threads 76, andan internal passageway 78 through which elongated dispensing tube 68extends. Nut 38 includes mating internal threads 77 which engageexternal threads 76, permitting nut 38 to be rotated and moved upward toengage the underside 33 of countertop 18 and secure support shaft 20 andspout 24 against movement relative to the countertop 18. Nut 38 isprovided with outwardly extending finger grips 80 to provide facilerotation of nut 38 during installation of fluid dispensing system 10.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, passageway 78 includes walls 82 and 83formed inside the hollow portion 84 of support shaft 20. Walls 82 and 83are held in place at a distance from outer wall 86 of support shaft 20through ribs 88. External threads 76 are formed in outer wall 86substantially along the length of support shaft 20. Hollow portion 84 ofsupport shaft 20 also includes a channel 90 (FIG. 4) extending thelength of support shaft 20 as a path to route the connector wire 50 fromelectric eye sensor 36 to a clip (not shown) on a distal or lower end ofwire 50. The lower end of wire 50 extends from an opening 92 (FIG. 1) ina lower portion 94 of support shaft 20 beneath external threads 76.Passageway 78 is also formed by the end 96 of prong 98. Prong 98 extendsthe length of support shaft 20 between walls 82 and 83. End 96 of prong98 is adapted to engage the outer surface of dispensing tube 68 whentube 68 is inserted into or removed from passageway 78, when dispensingtube 68 rotates in passageway 78, and when tube 68 moves reciprocally inpassageway 78 in response to the actuation of the pump mechanism 65.

Referring to FIG. 5, extending from the lower portion 94 of supportshaft 20 is a cylindrical attachment shaft 100. Attachment shaft 100 mayinclude a plurality of circumferentially disposed splines 102. In theillustrated embodiment, splines 102 are disposed at thirty degreeintervals, for reasons to be explained. Motor housing and supportassembly 14 of FIG. 6 may include a plurality of grooves 104circumferentially disposed in the interior portion 106 of motor housingand support assembly 14. Splines 102 are adapted to mate with theplurality of grooves 104 to provide for the attachment of motor housingand support assembly 14 to support shaft 20. This arrangement may permitthe internal passageway 78 of support shaft 20 to align with the centralinterior portion 106 of motor housing and support assembly 14.

A unique assembly structure including shank clip 42 provides easyattachment and detachment of motor housing and support assembly 14 tosupport shaft 20. As seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, the lower portion 94 ofsupport shaft 20 includes a shaft groove 108. The shaft groove 108 maybe a circumferentially indented groove and include a bottom 109. Shankclip 42 (FIGS. 1, 2, 8-11) is adapted to secure motor housing andsupport assembly 14 to support shaft 20.

FIGS. 8-11 illustrate a top, side, bottom, and isometric view of shankclip 11. Shank clip 42 is generally U-shaped, having an opening 110 anda curved closed end 112. As seen in FIGS. 9 and 11, shank clip 42provides a channel 114 that follows an interior path about the U-shapedlength of shank clip 42. Along with resilient bottom 120, resilientsidewall 116 and sidewall 118 define channel 114. As illustrated inFIGS. 8-11, sidewall 116 has a generally greater height than sidewall118 around the length of U-shaped shank clip 42 and each sidewall 116and sidewall 118 defines a specific contour to enable the shank clip 42to provide a removable snap fit to engage and hold motor housing andsupport assembly 14 to support shaft 20.

Each inwardly facing portion of sidewall 116 includes a curved firstentry radius 121, a generally flat first portion 122 and a generallyflat second portion 124 having a first end intersecting first portion122 at an angle 123. A second end of second portion 124 is connected toa substantially circular portion 126. Circular portion 126 extendsbeyond 180 degrees by an angle 125. In one embodiment, angle 125 isthirty degrees so that circular portion 126 extends to approximately 240degrees to the opposite side of shank clip 42. Circular portion 126 mayextend to connect to a generally flat third portion 128. Third portion128 intersects a generally flat fourth portion 130. At the end of fourthflat portion 130 is a curved second entry radius 132.

Each inwardly facing portion of sidewall 118 of shank clip 42 includesan entry radius 134, to which is connected a curved first portion 136terminating in a first nub 138. The nub 138 is connected to asubstantially circular portion 140 which extends beyond 180 degrees bythe angle 125. In one embodiment, angle 125 is thirty degrees so thatcircular portion 140 extends to approximately 240 degrees to theopposite side of shank clip 42. Circular portion 140 is connected to asecond nub 142, which connects to curved portion 144 of sidewall 118. Anentry radius 146 is provided at the outer end of sidewall 118.

As may be seen in FIGS. 8-11, in the illustrated embodiment, thedimensions and configuration of the inwardly facing surfaces forming thetops of sidewall 116 are different from the dimensions and configurationof the inwardly facing surfaces forming the tops of sidewall 118. By wayof example and not of limitation, in the illustrated embodiment theradius 147 of circular portion 126 of sidewall 116 is approximately0.327 inches, and the radius 149 of the circular portion 140 of sidewall118 is approximately 0.502 inches. The shank clip 42 is composed ofrigid but flexible material, such that the shank clip 42 is strongenough to hold motor housing and support assembly 14 together withsupport shaft 20 while having sufficient flex in the lateral directionto allow two snap action positions to function properly, as explainedbelow.

Subsequent to mounting spout 24 and support shaft 20 to countertop 18(FIGS. 1, 2), the grooves 106 of the upper interior portion 106 (FIG. 6and FIG. 7) of motor housing and support assembly 14 is moved upwardlyinto engagement with the splines 102 of the cylindrical attachment shaft100 of support shaft 20 until splines 102 mate with grooves 104.

As best seen in FIG. 3, a pump housing groove 148 circumscribes theouter, upper surface of pump housing 44. Pump housing groove 148 mayinclude bottom 151 and be adapted to receive in a first position shownin FIG. 12A, the curved portion 136 and curved portion 144 of thesidewall 118 of the shank clip 42 (FIG. 8) through opening 110 of shankclip 42. Pump housing groove 148 further may be adapted to receive in asecond position shown in FIG. 12B, circular portion 140 of the sidewall118 through opening 110.

Prior to moving motor housing and support assembly 14 into contact withattachment shaft 100, shank clip 42 is manually and partially mounted onassembly 14 by inserting sidewall 118 into engagement with pump housinggroove 148. In this first position, complementary entry radius portions134 and 146 are urged about pump housing groove 148. This may causeshank clip 42 to flex outward and then back inward. On shank clip 42flexing inward, curved portions 136, 144 engage the bottom 151 of pumphousing groove 148. The dimensions of curved portions 136, 144 and theshank clip 42 as well as the inherent flexibility of shank clip 42 maycause the shank clip 42 to be somewhat firmly mounted in this firstposition on the outer upper surface of pump housing 14. This retains theshank clip 42 against the pump housing groove 148 as seen in FIG. 12A.With the shank clip 42 retained against the pump housing groove 148 theuser may use both hands to bring the motor housing and support assembly14 into engagement with attachment shaft 100.

Upon moving motor housing and support assembly 14 into engagement withattachment shaft 100, the circumferential distance between adjacentsplines 102 and grooves 104 allows the motor housing and supportassembly 14 to be rotated in thirty degree increments, allowingplacement of the motor housing and support assembly 14 to avoidinterfering with the underside of the sink bowl and other plumbing orstructural elements located under countertop 18. This also allows theassembly 14 to be positioned for ease of access in case a need toservice the fluid dispensing system 10 arises.

After motor housing and support assembly 14 is positioned and installedon attachment shaft 100, the shank clip 42 is manually moved laterallyinward from its first position (FIG. 12A) to a second position (FIG.12B). To reach this second position, the sidewalls 116, 118 flexslightly outward and then inward to permit circular portion 140 of shankclip 42 to engage the bottom 151 of pump housing groove 148 over thefull extent of circular portion 140 and to permit circular portion 126of shank clip 42 to engage the bottom 109 of shaft groove 108 (FIG. 5)of support shaft 20. In the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 8-11,circular portion 140 extends 240 degrees around the bottom 151 of pumphousing groove 148 and circular portion 126 extends 240 degrees aroundthe bottom 109 of shaft groove 108, each secured to the other by theshank clip 42 as shank clip 42 removably resides in its second position.

As best viewed in FIG. 3 and FIG. 7, pump housing groove 148 in motorhousing and support assembly 14 is partially formed by a flange 150.Flange 150 may include an upward facing surface 152. As shank clip 42 ismoved inward towards axis 64, the surface 154 of shank clip 42 (FIG. 9)slides across a portion of upper surface 152 of flange 150. Moreover,the surface 156 slides across a portion of the underside of flange 150.This works to slidably engage flange 150 within the channel 114 of shankclip 42 (FIG. 9). As shank clip 42 is advanced inwardly further towardsaxis 64, sidewall 118 moves into pump housing groove 148 as describedabove, and sidewall 116 moves into now adjacent shaft groove 108 ofsupport shaft 20 (FIG. 12B), until flat portions 124, 128 (FIG. 12A)contact the bottom 109 of shaft groove 108. The shank clip 42 thenflexes outward and then inward to allow circular portion 126 of sidewall116 to engage the top of shaft groove 107 around shaft groove 108 (FIG.12B) over a radian distance of 180 degrees plus two times the value ofangle 123. In the illustrated embodiment, circular portion 126 ofsidewall 116 extends approximately 240 degrees around shaft groove 107,although this dimension may vary. With shank clip 42 in its positionshown in FIG. 12B, flange 150 is firmly engaged between surfaces 154 and156 of sidewalls 116, 118 respectively. Additionally, circular portion126 of sidewall 116 firmly engages the bottom 109 of the shaft groove108 and circular portion 140 firmly engages the bottom 151 of pumphousing, each with a snap action. Thus, motor housing and supportassembly 14 is removably and firmly held to support shaft 20, untilshank clip 42 is manually moved outwardly to disengage the shank clip 42from at least shaft groove 108.

As noted above, motor housing and support assembly 14 includes pumphousing 44 and motor and actuator mechanism housing 46. When motorhousing and support assembly 14 is installed on support shaft 20 asdescribed above, assembly 14 provides the driving force for theoperation of pump mechanism 65. Referring to FIG. 2, motor 49 is mountedin housing 46 and is electrically connected to electric eye sensor 36through connecting wire 50 (FIG. 1). Motor 49 also may be electricallyconnected to a source of power contained in battery pack 52 throughwires 54, 56 and connector 58. Electric eye sensor 36 acts as a switchto toggle motor 49 between on and off, or if desired, sensor 36 couldtrigger operation of a separate switch (not shown) to activate motor 49.

A gear reduction train 51 mounted for rotation in housing 46 operativelyconnects the output of motor 49 to pump hammer 53. Pump hammer 53 isillustrated in detail in FIG. 13. Referring to FIG. 2 and to FIG. 13,the pump hammer 53 includes an actuate gear portion 158 which mesheswith spur gear 160, which in turn is driven by motor 49 through gearreduction train 51. Pump hammer 53 is mounted on pin 162 for rotationthrough a small arc relative to housing 46. At an end of pump hammer 53in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 13 may be a pair of actuator arms164, 166 which rotate as pump hammer 53 rotates through a small arc.Pump hammer 53 also includes a flat face 168 adapted to engage hammerkick back stop 170 (FIG. 15A). The hammer kick back stop 170 may berigidly, but adjustably, mounted on the interior of housing 46, as seenin FIGS. 1, 2 and 15A-C. Optionally, hammer kick back stop 170 may beadjustably mounted on housing 46. As may be seen in FIG. 13, the spacebetween actuator arms 164, 166 defines an open space 172.

Reference now will be made to hollow interior 47 (FIG. 2 and FIG. 14) ofpump housing 44. Disposed in the hollow interior 47 of pump housing 44is a pump actuator 174. Pump actuator 174 may be thought of as a pumpmechanism actuator and may include an actuator flange 176 extendingoutward from and circumscribing the body of actuator 174. As seen inFIG. 14, pump actuator 174 engages hollow pump intake tube 178 connectedto pump mechanism 65 (FIG. 2), and moves downward when pump mechanism 65is actuated, as will be explained in further detail. The upper movementof actuator 174 is limited by the abutment of top surface 180 of theactuator against inwardly directed limiting surface 182 of pump housing44, as seen in FIG. 14.

Elongated dispensing tube 68 is firmly lodged in cylindrical opening 184of actuator 174, whereby dispensing tube 68 moves in reciprocaldirections within passageway 78 along with the movement of actuator 174.Actuator 174 also includes a downwardly extending member 186 adapted toallow passage of fluid soap from the reservoir container 60 through theactuator 174 and into dispensing tube 68, as will be explained infurther detail. As shown in FIG. 14, pump housing 44 is provided with anopening 188 in one sidewall to allow selective contact between pumphammer 53 and flange 176 of actuator 174.

FIG. 15A illustrates the condition of pump hammer 53 when the motor 49is not energized. Here, pump hammer 53 is in its full kick backposition. Actuator arms 164, 166 (hidden) straddle upper portion 190 ofactuator 174, such that upper portion 190 extends into open space 172(FIG. 13) as pump hammer 53 pivots clockwise around pivot pin 162 underthe influence of motor 49. In FIG. 15A, actuator arms 164, 166 aredisposed a short distance above opposite lateral sides of the uppersurface of actuator flange 176.

Upon actuation of motor 49, gear reduction train 51 drives spur gear 160which, in turn, drives pump hammer 53 clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 15B,until the outer ends of actuator arms 164, 166 initially engage opposingupper surface locations on actuator flange 176. At this point, motor 49continues to operate, rotating pump hammer 53 further clockwise, andadvancing pump actuator 174 downward into pump mechanism 65, as shown inFIG. 15C.

The amount of downward movement of pump actuator 174 determines theamount of fluid soap that is dispensed from elongated tube 68 at tubeend 70 upon each actuation of automatic soap dispenser 10. The distanceof the downward movement of pump actuator is controlled by the positionof hammer kick back stop 170. The position of hammer kick back stop 170may be defined by angle 189 as measured from the center of pin 162 to adistal surface of stop 170. In one embodiment, angle 189 is thirty onedegrees. Angle 191 references a storage position of actuator arms 164,166 and may be measured from the center of pin 162 to a local surface ofstop 170. In one embodiment, angle 191 is thirteen degrees. To dispensea desired dosage of the fluid soap, flat face 168 of pump hammer 53abuts kick back stop 170, thus halting further clockwise rotation ofpump hammer 53.

Referring to FIGS. 15A, B and C, when flat face 168 of pump hammer 53abuts hammer kick back stop 170, the motor 49 stalls and the currentthrough the motor 49 increases. The increase in current through thestalled motor 49 is detected by the circuitry (FIG. 31), and the drive514 to the motor 49 ceases, thus preventing the delivery of torque bythe motor 49 to pump hammer 53. With the motor 49 off, the spring 236 inpump mechanism 65 (FIG. 20) causes the pump chamber 218 to expand,whereby flange 176 of pump actuator 174 moves upward to force pumphammer 53 to rotate counterclockwise back to its start position. Inertiafrom gear reduction train 51 carries the counterclockwise rotating pumphammer 53 to the position shown in FIG. 15A.

FIGS. 16 and 17 are detail views of the pump actuator 174, showing abeveled form of actuator flange 176, which operates the same as thepreviously described embodiment. The external body of actuator 174includes a single circumscribing thread 192, which is adapted to matewith corresponding internal threads 258 (FIG. 20) in the neck ofcontainer 60 to hold actuator 174 and intake tube 178 in an inoperativeposition during shipment of reservoir module and pump assembly 16, aswill be explained.

A hollow chamber 194 (FIG. 17) is provided internally in actuator 174,and a timing shaft 196 extends downward from portion 198, where portion198 forms the bottom of cylindrical opening 184 (FIG. 14 and FIG. 17).Recall that the dispensing tube 68 is attached to actuator 174 throughcylindrical opening 184 (FIG. 14). Timing shaft 196 comprises fourdownwardly extending blades 200, which upper portions are attached toportion 198. Adjacent blades 200 may appear as part of a spider elementto define openings 202 between blades 200 to provide for passage offluid soap material upward along timing shaft 196, through openings 202and into dispensing tube 68 when pump mechanism 65 is actuated. Thebottom of timing shaft 196 comprises a landing 204 adapted to engagesealing upstroke ball cock 206 (FIG. 20) upon actuation of pumpmechanism 65.

FIG. 20 provides a schematic representation of the relationship betweenpump actuator 174, pump mechanism 65 and fluid soap container 60. Forpurposes of the invention, pump mechanism 65 is a standard, self primingpump as is known in the art. It is contemplated that additional pumpmechanisms may be used in the invention, having structure and operationthat may vary from the pump description set forth below. Pump actuator174 sits on top of cylindrical wall 208 of intake tube 178. The actuator174 is secured to intake tube 178 at press fit points 210. The interiorof intake tube 178 includes a substantially V-shaped restriction 212having an aperture 214 extending therethrough. Ball cock 206 is adaptedto rest in the V-shaped trough 216 so as to block aperture 214 when inthe rest position seen in FIG. 20.

Beneath restriction 212 in pump mechanism 65 is a cylindrical openoutlet chamber 218 having a ridge 220 at the bottom thereof, and.Chamber 218 is further defined by wall 222 having outer ends 224. Wall222 may be a resilient, outwardly extending circular wall where outerends 224 slidably engage a stationary housing 226. Stationary housing226 forms part of pump mechanism 65. The bottom of stationary housing226 is defined by a circular plate 228 defining an aperture 230centrally disposed therein. Stationary housing 226 may include a pumpball cock 232 resting in a trough 234 forming the upper portion ofaperture 230. Retainer 233 sits atop circular plate 228, and forms alower mount for spring 236. The upper end of spring 236 abuts ridge 220.

Recall that motor 49 rotates actuator arms 164, 166 to engage flange 176so as to drive down actuator 174. Actuator 174, in turn, drives downintake tube 178. When actuator 174 drives intake tube 178 downward,spring 236 compresses and container 60 pressurizes so as to cause fluidsoap to be pumped out of container 60. The spring 236 provides the forceto return actuator 174 to its upward position upon stall of motor 49, aspreviously described.

The lower end of stationary housing 226 includes a cylindrical boss 238having a hollow central portion 240, into which a hollow soap inlet tube242 is inserted. Tube 242 extends downward from boss 238 tosubstantially the bottom of container 60, leaving a space 244 to allowsoap to be conveyed from the bottom of container 60 into tube 242.

Stationary housing 226 is firmly attached to neck 246 of container 60through a ferrule 248. Ferrule 248 is crimped both over outwardlyextending flange 250 of stationary housing 226 and over neck 246. Toprevent fluid soap from leaking out of container 60 during pressurizedoperation of pump mechanism 65 as well as during shipment of container60, a pump sealing member 252 is firmly secured to stationary housing226 at mating threads 254. Pump sealing member 252 is circular inconfiguration and has an internal chamber 256 comprising internalthreads 258. Internal threads 258 are adapted to mate with singlecircumscribing thread 192 on pump actuator 174 during shipment ofcontainer 60. This mating may occur when intake tube 178 is moveddownward against the force of spring 236 and is rotated approximatelyone full turn to engage internal threads 258 with actuator threads 192.This arrangement may maintain pump mechanism 65 in an inoperativeposition during shipping. To activate pump mechanism 65 prior to use,pump actuator 174 is counter rotated so as to disengage threads 258 and192, a result being that intake tube 178 moves upward under the force ofpreviously compressed spring 236.

Fluid dispensing system 10 also includes a removable fastening assemblyincluding mounting clip 48 (FIG. 1) to enable fluid soap containers 60to be sequentially installed on and removed from the lower end 260 ofmotor housing and support assembly 14. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 21-23,mounting clip 48 is securely attached to the lower end 260 of assembly14. As may be seen in FIG. 21, mounting clip 48 includes a centrallydisposed opening 262 which aligns with opening 264 (FIG. 15A) at thelower end of assembly 14. A screw, or other suitable fastener (notshown) is inserted through hole 266 (FIGS. 21-23) to secure mountingclip 48 onto assembly 14.

As seen in FIG. 23, mounting clip 48 may include a lower plate 268, awall 270 extending downward from plate 268, and an inwardly extendingflange 272. In the illustrated embodiment, mounting clip 48 includes aflat rear wall 274, however the configuration of rear wall 274 may beany other suitable shape. Referring to FIGS. 21 and 23, flange 272includes flat portions 276 on either side of opening 262, nubs 278, andcircular portion 280 extending over a distance of approximately 180degrees. The space between flange 272 and lower plate 268 defines achannel 282. Channel 282 also extends 180 degrees around opening 262,with two flat channel portions 284 extending to rear wall 274. A stopmember 285 is disposed in channel 282 for purposes to be explained.

Referring to FIGS. 21-23, lower plate 268 of mounting clip 48 includes aplurality of inwardly facing protuberances 286 along the rim of opening262 so as to define spaces 288 between the protuberances 286. Frictionsurfaces 290 (FIG. 21) ending in indentations 291 are provided on asurface of one or more of the upwardly facing protuberances 286. Eachfriction surface 290 may represent an angled thinness in a protuberance288 that acts to wedge a protuberance 286 between a tab 292 and an uppersurface 293 of container 60 when reservoir module and pump assembly 16is installed in soap dispenser 10. Complete installation includes bumps295 (FIG. 27) residing within indentations 291 (FIG. 21).

Referring to FIGS. 24 and 25, mounting clip 48 is illustrated unattachedto the lower end 260 (FIG. 2) of motor housing and support assembly 14(e.g., lower end 260 is not illustrated in FIGS. 24 and 25), but it isto be understood that mounting clip 48 is to be attached to assembly 14as shown in FIG. 2. As seen in FIG. 27, container 60 includes a neck246, and tabs 292 where tabs 292 may extend outwardly from neck 246.Each tab 292 has a substantially flat upper and lower surface,dimensional to fit in channel 282 of mounting clip 48, as seen in FIG.25. The illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 24-27 show four equally spacedtabs 292 located around the neck 246 of container 60. However, container60 may contain a different tab configuration, such as three or two tabsby way of examples, if desired, with corresponding changes in number ofprotuberances 286 and spaces 288 in clip mounting 48 (FIGS. 21, 22).

FIG. 29 is a view of the location of electric eye sensor unit 36 inspout 24, and FIG. 31 is a block diagram view of an embodiment of thesoap dispenser circuit of the fluid dispensing system 10 of theinvention. In FIG. 31, the soap dispenser circuitry 500 includes aninfrared (IR) emitter 501, an IR detector 502, an assembly controlcircuit 503, voltage regulators 504, a voltage source 505, controldiodes 506 and speaker 507. In this embodiment, the IR emitter 501 islocated in electric eye sensor unit 36 (FIG. 29), and includes a secondvoltage source 508 to provide a potential to IR emitter 501 in order toemit pulsed IR signals from the soap dispenser assembly 10. As is wellknown in the industry, the second voltage source 508 may be a potentialcreating voltage source, such as a battery or other device that createsa voltage potential to initiate a flow of electrons from the secondvoltage source 508. While the illustrated embodiment provides apotential of 6V being applied to the IR emitter 501, other embodimentsmay vary the second voltage source 508 so long as IR signals may bepulsed from the IR emitter 501.

Also, part of the IR emitter 501 is a standard diode 509, much likecontrol diodes 506, that controls the direction of the flow of chargefrom the second voltage source 508. Again, the IR emitter 501 is used toprovide IR signals from the fluid dispensing system 10 as a continuouspulse, controlled by the transmission (TX) and reception (RX) controlcircuit 510, which is part of the assembly control circuit 503. Alsooutside of the assembly control circuit 503 is the IR detector 502,which is physically located in electric eye sensor unit 36 (FIG. 29).The IR detector 502 is a low current consumption device that is alsocontrolled by the TX and RX control circuit 510. The IR detector 502detects when an object, such as a hand upon which soap will bedispensed, is placed in the sensing field (i.e. path) of the IR signalsbeing emitted from the IR emitter 501. The object placed in the sensingfield may reflect the IR signal being emitted from the IR emitter 501towards the IR detector 502. IR detector 502 receives the reflected IRsignal and detects this IR signal. It is noted that IR signal emissionis well known in the art using standard IR data transmission techniques.The IR detector 502 has, in this embodiment, a standard diode 511 tocontrol the direction of the flow of charge and an IR detector amplifier512. The IR detector amplifier 512 amplifies the pulsed signal andtransmits that signal to the receiver circuit 513.

When three continuously received pulse signals are received by thereceiver circuit 513 from the IR detector 502, the receiver circuit 513may transmit a signal to the motor driver 514 to operate the motor 49(FIGS. 31 and 2). It is noted that the signals being transmittedthroughout the soap dispensing control circuit 503 are transmitted alongstandard conducting lines formed of conducting materials as is wellknown to those skilled in the art. Further note that the motor 49 isdriven by the motor driver 514 in conjunction with the voltage source505 and controlled by the conventional transistor 516.

In the soap dispensing circuit 503 of FIG. 31, the TX and RX controlcircuit 510 controls transmission of IR signals from the IR emitter 501and reception of the reflected IR signals from the IR detector 502 thatare sent to the receiver circuit 513. To control transmission of controlsignals between the TX and RX control circuit 510 and the IR detector502, there is a standard transistor 517 electrically connected to avoltage source 518 (e.g., 5V). It is noted that the IR detector 502 iselectrically connected to a ground 519 to properly control the flow ofcharge to the IR detector 502.

As previously mentioned, in one embodiment, the motor 49 is turned on(and thus soap dispenses from tube end 70 (FIG. 3)) when the receivercircuit 513 receives three (which may be more or less in otherembodiments) continuous pulse signals from the IR detector 502. Threepulses allows the sensors to distinguish between an actual user, andother elements accidentally passing in front of emitter 501. When themotor 49 turns on, a signal is transmitted from the motor driver 514 tothe memory counter 520, where memory counter 520 is a conventionalcounter well known in the industry.

In other words, the assembly control circuit 503 may include atransmission (TX) and reception (RX) control circuit 510 that iselectrically connected to the IR emitter 501 and the IR detector 502 asshown in FIG. 31. The assembly control circuit 503 also may include amotor drive 514 and a receiver circuit 513 that may be electricallyconnected to the IR detector 502 and to the TX and RX control circuit510. The receiver circuit 513 may be electrically connected to the motordrive 514. As explained below, the TX and RX control circuit 510 maygenerate a transmit signal that may prompt the IR emitter 501 to producea pulsed IR signal. The TX and RX control circuit also may provide abias signal to the IR detector 502 to turn on or allow the IR detector502 to detect a pulsed IR signal. In addition, the TX and RX controlcircuit 510 may provide a clock signal to the receiver circuit 513 tofacilitate the detection of a group of continuous pulses beforedispensing soap in accordance with an exemplary implementation of theassembly control circuit 503. In one implementation of assembly controlcircuit 503, only when three continuously received pulse signals arereceived by the receiver circuit 513 from the IR detector 502 will thereceiver circuit 513 transmit a signal to the motor driver 514, which inturn may operate the motor 49.

The memory counter 520 is electrically connected to a switch controlcircuit 521 that controls three switches, in this embodiment, includinga test switch 522, a reset switch 523 and a counter switch 524. Theseswitches 522, 523, and 524 are conventional switches that are opened andclosed to provide discharge of electrical current to ground 519,depending on which operation (e.g., testing, resetting or counting) isneeded. Using the switch control circuit 521 and, in conjunction withthe motor driver 514 and TX and RX control circuit 510, the memorycounter 520 keeps track of the number of cycles (i.e. times soap isdispensed) and sends a signal to the tone driver 525 and light emittingdiode (LED) driver 529 when a certain number of dispensing cycles haveoccurred (e.g., 960 or 1200 cycles) so that an indicator light 37 (FIG.29) embedded in electric eye sensor unit 36 and visible through lens 34(FIG. 29), or alarm (e.g., using speaker 507), may be activated tosignal that the soap dispenser assembly must be refilled. Note thatfluid dispensing system 10 will continue to operate after the indicatorlight 37 or the alarm has been activated.

Still in FIG. 31, an oscillator circuit 526, a first frequency divider527, a second frequency divider 528, an LED driver 529, and a batterylevel selector 530 are all within the assembly control circuit 503.These elements provide the required signal frequency and timing for theLED driver 529 and the tone driver 525 to generate the refill indicatorlight and alarm signal. The oscillator circuit 526 may be electricallyconnected to the first frequency divider 527. The oscillator circuit 526may produce a system frequency oscillation signal that is provided tothe first frequency divider 527. The oscillator circuit 526 may includea known inductor-resistor-capacitor (LRC) circuit and logic gateinvertors to produce a standard oscillation as is well known in the art.The first 527 and second 528 frequency dividers are in electricalconnection with the TX and RX control circuit 510 and the tone driver525 in order to create the required refill indicator and alarm signal.

The tone driver 525 drives the speaker 507 to provide audio sounds whenthe soap dispensing assembly must be refilled. Similarly, the LED driver529, in connection with the first frequency divider 527, the batterylevel selector 530 and the tone driver 525, drives the indicator light37 to signal that the soap refill is needed. Likewise, the battery levelselector 530 indicates to the LED driver 529 when the batteries of theassembly must be replaced. The battery level selector is in connectionwith several resistors 531 that are used to control the amount ofvoltage arriving at the battery level selector 530. Outside of thecircuit 503 are the voltage regulators 504. These regulators 504 areused to control the amount of voltage transmitted to the circuit 503 andare in electrical connection with a standard capacitor and ground toproperly regulate the voltage needed by the circuit 503.

In use, the embodiment of the soap dispenser circuitry 500 of FIG. 31continuously transmits IR signals from the IR emitter 501 outside of thesoap dispensing assembly 10. When an object, such as a hand, comeswithin the sensing field or path of the IR signals being emitted fromthe IR emitter 501, the IR detector 502 receives pulses being reflectedby the object and sends a signal to the receiver circuit 513. In theillustrated embodiment, when three continuous pulses have been receivedby the receiver circuit 513, the receiver circuit transmits a signal tothe motor driver 514 which, in turn, activates the motor 49 to dispensethe fluid soap. The amount of soap being dispensed is monitored by thememory counter 520, which works in conjunction with the tone driver 525to audibly indicate through the speaker 507 or the indicator light 37 asdescribed above when the soap must be refilled.

FIG. 32 is a flow chart of an embodiment of the method of dispensingsoap of the invention. In FIG. 32, two flow charts, flow chart A andflow chart B, of the method 600 of dispensing soap are depicted. Flowchart A depicts an embodiment for a method of replacing the soap afterthe soap has been used by the continuous cycles depicted in flow chartB.

Flow chart A begins at step 540 by replacing the bottle container 60.Container 60 may include the soap to be dispensed through the use of thefluid dispensing system 10 of the invention. There is no requirementthat the container 60 be completely full of soap, but only that somesoap be present in the container 60 in order to be dispensed by the soapdispensing assembly 10. A reset button 523 (FIG. 31) is then pushed atstep 541. Pushing the reset button 523 at step 541 resets the memorycounter 520 of FIG. 31 to zero at step 542.

Recall that the memory counter 520 keeps track of the number of cycles(i.e. number of times soap is dispensed) and sends a signal to the tonedriver 525 (FIG. 31) when a certain number of cycles have occurred(e.g., 960 or 1200 cycles) so that an indicator light 37 or alarm (e.g., when using speaker 507 of FIG. 31) may be activated to signal thatthe soap dispenser must be refilled. In step 542, the counter 520 isreset since the container 60 at step 540 has been replaced with a fullbottle, in one embodiment.

Still in flow chart A, at step 543, a number of priming pump actuations,for example, four, are performed in order to raise the soap from thecontainer 60 up through the soap dispensing tube 68. Various embodimentsmay be used to achieve the priming pump actuations. For example, in oneembodiment, the self-priming pump mechanism 65 previously described maybe run four times to raise the soap from the container to the dispensingtube 68. In alternative embodiments, the dispensing tube 68 may bemanually pumped by a user to raise the soap to the tube 68.Alternatively, additional pumps may be added in other embodiments toachieve the number of pumps needed to raise the soap from the containeror bottle to the soap dispensing nozzle. Then at step 544, the lowbottle LED 37 driven by the LED driver 529 (FIG. 31) is turned off sincea new container 60 of soap has been replaced at step 540.

Flow chart B of FIG. 32 is a flow chart of an embodiment of the steps ofeach cycle (i.e. each time soap is dispensed) that occurs when soap isbeing dispensed. At step 545, the IR detector 502 (FIG. 31) which beginsthe soap dispensing at step 546 senses the hand of a user. Each time thesoap is dispensed at step 546, a counter, for example, the memorycounter 520 of FIG. 31, is incremented at step 547 in order to keeptrack of the amount of soap left in the container 60 or bottle. Recallthat each bottle or container 60 has approximately 960 or 1200 cyclesthat are counted and stored so that the indicator lights 37 or alarm mayalert a user or owner when the soap is running low or the container 60is empty.

Steps 545-547 are repeated as long as the counter 520 has counted lessthan 900 cycles, in this embodiment which is depicted by step 548. It isnoted that more or less cycles may be counted in alternative embodimentswhich only require larger or smaller amount of soap to be stored in thereservoir soap dispensing assembly 16. Thus, 900 cycles is only oneembodiment of the number of cycles that are counted which may be more orless in alternative embodiments. Once the cycles reach 900 or more, theLED indicator light 37 or alarm is activated at step 549 to indicate toa user or owner that additional soap will be needed. Also, part of theflow chart B is the battery sensor at step 550 that checks to see if thebattery level is less than a predetermined voltage level, e.g., 4.85V.If it is, then the LED indicator light 37 or alarm is activated at step551 to indicate that the battery is low so that the battery may berecharged or replaced. If the battery level is not less than apredetermined voltage level, the soap is dispensed at step 546 withoutthe LED indicator light 37 or alarm being activated. Again, it is notedthat the battery voltage level and number of cycles that trigger the LEDindicator light 37 or alarm to activate may vary in alternativeembodiments, yet fall within the scope of the subject matter of theclaims below.

Recall that soap dispensing circuit 500 includes an exampleimplementation for assembly control circuit 503. FIGS. 33A-I constitutesexemplary schematic diagram 700 of soap dispenser circuit 500 of FIG.31. As shown in FIG. 33A, the oscillator circuit 626 may include astandard LRC circuit and logic gate inventors to produce a systemfrequency (i.e., oscillation) signal as known in the art. This systemfrequency signal may be provided to the first frequency divider 627.

As depicted in FIGS. 33A-B, the first frequency divider 627 and thesecond frequency divider 628 may utilize the system frequency signal toproduce outputs Q1-Q12, and Q13-Q24, respectively. The outputs Q1-Q12,and Q13-Q24 provide the required waveforms and timing signals for the TXand RX control circuit 610 (see FIG. 33C), the memory counter 620 (seeFIG. 33F), the motor driver 614 (see FIG. 33G), the LED driver 629 (seeFIG. 33H), and the tone driver 625 (see FIG. 331). The first 527 andsecond 528 frequency dividers may be any standard logic counter orprogrammable logic array.

In FIG. 33C, an example implementation of TX and RX control circuit 610may be shown. The TX and RX control circuit 610 utilizes standard logicgates IC3-IC7 and IC10 to provide a signal bias via a standardtransistor 517 to the IR detector 502 when the appropriate logic may bepresent. The standard transistor 517 may be electrically connected to avoltage source 518 (e.g., 5V) and IR detector 502 as shown in FIG. 31.The standard transistor 517 acts like a switch. When the signal biasfrom the TX and RX control circuit may be present, the standardtransistor may be gated or switched closed allowing the voltage source518 to prompt the IR detector 502 to operate. It may be noted that theIR detector 502 may be electrically connected to a ground 519 toproperly control the flow of charge to the IR detector 502.

The TX and RX control circuit 610 also utilizes standard logic gatesIC3-IC8, IC11, and IC13 to produce a transmit signal based on waveformand timing outputs (i.e., Q2, Q4, Q6, and Q8) from the first frequencydivider 627, FIG. 33A. In one implementation, the transmit signal may bea three pulse signal that prompts the IR emitter 501 to emit acorresponding pulsed IR signal for each cycle of the system frequencysignal. In addition, the TX and RX control circuit 610 utilizes standardlogic gates IC3-IC9, IC11-IC12, and IC14-IC21 to produce a clock signalthat synchronizes the detection of a group of continuous pulses (e.g.,three continuous pulses) by the receiver circuit 613 (see FIG. 33D).

In FIG. 33D, an example implementation of receiver circuit 613 may beshown. The receiver circuit 613 includes three D-type flip-flops 6131,6132, and 6133 for latching three continuous pulses from the IR detector502. Other two state logic devices such as SR flip-flops, JK flip-flops,or resettable bit memory device may be used in alternative embodimentsto latch a detected pulse. When three continuous pulses (which may bemore or less in other embodiments) are received by the receiver circuit613, the receiver circuit 613 generates a pulse detected signal that maybe provided to the motor driver 614 circuit. Three pulses allows thesoap dispenser circuit 500 to distinguish between an actual user, andother elements accidentally passing in front of emitter 501. Uponreceiving the pulse detected signal and the waveform and timing signalQ16, the motor driver 614 circuit generates a “dispense soap” signal(i.e., count signal in FIG. 33E and 33F) that results in the motor 49dispensing soap for a predetermined period.

The memory counter 620, FIG. 33F, also receives the dispense soap signalfrom the motor driver 614 circuit via an electrical connection throughswitch control circuit 621. The memory counter 620, which may be anystandard logic counter or programmable logic array, increments aninternal counter upon receiving the dispense soap signal from the motordriver 614 circuit. The memory counter 620, thus, keeps track of thenumber of cycles (i.e., times soap may be dispensed). Based on a numberof cycles selection (e.g., 960 or 1200 cycles), the memory counter 620sends an end signal to the LED driver 629, FIG. 33H, and the tone driver625, FIG. 331 when the number of cycles selection may be reached tosignal that the soap dispenser assembly must be refilled. Upon receivingthe end signal, the LED driver 629 sets an indicator light embedded inelectric eye sensor unit 36 and visible through lens 34 (FIG. 29). Also,upon receiving the end signal, the tone driver 625 activates an alarmvia speaker 507. Note that the dispenser 10 will continue to operateafter the indicator light or the alarm have been activated.

The switch control circuit 621 that controls three switches, in thisembodiment, including a test switch 521, a reset switch 522 and acounter switch 523. These switches are conventional switches that areopened and closed to provide discharge of electrical current to grounddepending on which operation (e.g., testing, resetting or counting) maybe needed. Using the switch control circuit 521, and in conjunction withthe motor driver 514 and TX and RX control circuit 510, the memorycounter 520 keeps track of the number of cycles (i.e. times soap may bedispensed) and sends a signal to the LED driver 529 and tone driver 525when a certain number of cycles have occurred (e.g., 960 or 1200 cycles)so that an indicator light embedded in electric eye sensor unit 36 andvisible through lens 34 (FIG. 29), or alarm (e.g., using speaker507),may be activated to signal that the soap dispenser assembly must berefilled. Note that the dispenser 10 will continue to operate after theindicator light or alarm have been activated.

FIGS. 24, 25, 27 and 28 illustrate an embodiment of the reservoir moduleand pump assembly 16 described previously and adapted for use inautomatic soap dispenser 10. The soap inlet tube 242, pump mechanism 65,actuator 174 and dispensing tube 68 all form a unitary assembly that maybe discarded when the container 60 has been emptied of fluid soap.Therefore, a new pump mechanism 65 and tubes 68 and 242 may be furnishedwith each replacement module 16 installed in dispenser 10.

In the invention, to provide ease of installation of module 16, as willbe explained, dispensing tube 68, actuator 174, pump mechanism 65 andintake tube 242 are all aligned on a common centerline, shown by thenumeral 64 in FIGS. 2 and 24. Thus, when module 16 is rotated duringinstallation and removal from motor housing and support assembly 14, allof the elements comprising reservoir module 16 rotate smoothly andsubstantially frictionless in their respective housings and passageways.This is of particular importance with regard to the integrity ofelongated dispensing tube 68, which follows an actuator path inpassageway 66 of spout 24 (FIG. 2). The rotation of reservoir module 16during installation and removal causes bent tube 68 to rotate about itsown axis, shown as 64 in FIG. 5. However, since the rotation takes placearound tube 68's own axis, the entire tube rotates substantially freelywithout any significant compressive or tensile stress being applied tothe dispensing tube 68.

Another factor resulting from the single centerline construction ofreservoir module 16 is that actuator 174 may be used with a commonlyavailable pump mechanism 65, without the need for any speciallyconstructed or located pump assemblies. This obviously reduces the costof reservoir module 16. Pump mechanism 65 is a self priming pump whichdelivers a predetermined dosage of fluid soap from tube end 70 ofdispensing tube 68 (FIG. 3) upon each actuation of the motor 49 (FIG.2). Note also that dispensing tube 68 moves reciprocally in spoutpassageway 66 with each operation of actuator 174, to provide advantagesdescribed below in conjunction with the operation of automatic soapdispenser 10.

The installation of the fluid dispensing system 10 of the invention, asviewed in FIG. 2, is initiated by providing an appropriately sizedaperture 22 in countertop 18 at a point adjacent the rim of a sink bowl(not shown) in the countertop 18. Support shaft 20, which is attached tospout and mounting shaft assembly 12 is inserted downward throughaperture 22 until resilient pad 27 beneath base portion 25 of spout 24abuts the upper surface 29 of countertop 18. Nut 38 and lock washer 40are then installed over lower portion 94 of support shaft 20, withconnecting wire 50 extending through the central opening of nut 38 andlock washer 40. Nut 38 and lock washer 40 tightly abut the underside 33of countertop 18, with spout 24 being previously rotated such that thespout opening 31 is directed to the sink bowl.

Motor housing and support assembly 14 is then attached to support shaft20 by placing interior portion 106 (FIGS. 2, 7) of assembly 14 overattachment shaft 100 such that splines 102 and grooves 104 mate alongtheir respective lengths. Prior to this step, sidewall 128 of shank clip42 is partially inserted into pump housing groove 148 on assembly 14,and is held in the position shown in FIG. 12A. When installing assembly14, motor and actuator mechanism housing 46 may initially abut againstthe underside of the sink bowl, or interfere with undersink plumbing orother hardware, fixtures or wires. This problem, if it occurs, may berelieved by removing assembly 14 from attachment shaft 100, rotatingassembly 14 whereby motor housing 46 does not interfere with any otherelements, and re-insert interior portion 106 of assembly 14 overattachment shaft 100 until the splines 102 and grooves 104 mate again.

In the illustrated embodiment, assembly 14 may be rotated in incrementsof thirty degrees. When assembly 14 is in its appropriate positionrelative to support shaft 20, shank clip 42 is manually pushed inwardsuch that sidewall 116 is fully inserted into shaft groove 108 onattachment shaft 100 as circular portion 126 (FIG. 11) engages thebottom 109 of shaft groove 108 and securely holds motor housing andsupport assembly 14 to support shaft 20. In case it becomes necessary toremove assembly 14 from support shaft 20, the process is reversedwhereby shank clip 42 is laterally moved out of shaft groove 108 andpump housing groove 148, releasing assembly 14 from support shaft 20.

After motor housing and support assembly 14 is properly attached tosupport shaft 20, as described above, wire 50 (FIG. 1) is attached to asocket (not shown) in motor housing 46 which connects wire 50 to motor49 and the circuitry shown in FIGS. 31 and 33 for operation of electriceye sensor unit 36 and motor 49. Also, battery pack 52 (FIG. 1)including an appropriate number of electric batteries, is attached to acabinet wall, facility wall, or other fixture element (not shown), andwire 54 is connected to wire 56 through releasable attachment element58.

The installation of the fluid soap reservoir and pump assembly intofluid dispensing system 10 is initiated by aligning the tube end 70 ofdispensing tube 68 with the centrally disposed aperture 296 (FIG. 14)formed where assembly 14 necks inward. The beveled sides 298 of aperture296 assist in guiding dispensing tube 68 upward through aperture 296.

Container 60, with dispensing tube 68, actuator 174 and pump mechanism65 attached, is moved upward, feeding dispensing tube 68 into passageway66 of spout 24.

Container 60 continues to be moved upward until top surface 180 (FIG.14) of actuator 174 abuts limiting surface 182 of assembly 14,preventing further upward movement of container 60. At this juncture,dispensing tube 68 is fully inserted in passageway 66 of spout 24, andthe tube end 70 of the dispensing tube extends out of the spout opening31 (FIG. 2) a short distance, such that tube end 70 of dispensing tube68 is not visible to a user in part due to indented portion 72 of curveddispensing portion 28 of spout 20 (FIG. 3).

As reservoir module and pump assembly 16 is moved upward, tabs 292 onneck 246 (FIG. 27) pass into opening 262 in mounting clip 48, with eachtab 292 moving through spaces 288 formed between protuberances 286 untileach tab 292 is adjacent groove 282 in mounting clip 48. As upwardmovement of container 60 is halted, container 60 is rotated in eitherdirection, compelling tabs 292 to be positioned in groove 282 adjacentto protuberances 286. Stop member 285 abuts one of the tabs 292 ofcontainer 60 to control rotation motion of the container 60. Frictionsurfaces 290 on an upward side of some or all of protuberances 286 applypressure to tabs 292 to hold container 60 and module 16 securely, butremovably in proper contact with motor housing and support assembly 14.Here, bumps 295 (FIG. 27) may be disposed in indentations 291 (FIG. 21).

To remove an empty reservoir module 16 from assembly 14, the container60 is rotated in an opposite direction from that described above untiltabs 292 align with spaces 288 in mounting clip 48. The container 60 isthen lowered, withdrawing dispensing tube 68 from passage 66 in spout24, and withdrawing actuator 174 and pump assembly 65 from motor housingand support assembly 16. A full reservoir module is then installed, asset forth above. Several priming pump actuations 543 may automaticallyoccur (FIG. 32) to raise an initial quantity of soap from container 60up into dispensing tube 68.

Once properly installed, operation of the fluid dispensing system 10 isinitiated by a user inserting his or her hands under indented outlet 30of spout 24. Electric eye sensor 36 detects the presence of the hands,and sends a signal, as previously described, to actuator motor 49. Gearreduction train 51 drives pump hammer 53 in a clockwise direction, asviewed in FIG. 2, whereby actuator arms 162, 164 initially move towardflange 176 of actuator 174 (FIG. 15A), and the upper portion 190 of theactuator 174 falls into open space 172 between actuator arms 164 and 166of pump hammer 53. The actuator arms 164, 166 engage the upper surfaceof actuator flange 176 (FIG. 15B) and drive actuator 174 downward, asviewed in FIG. 15C. In the illustrated embodiment, and by way of exampleonly, actuator 174 moves downward a distance of 0.280 inches. Thisdownward movement of actuator 174 causes elongated dispensing tube 68 towithdraw the same distance into spout 24 and passageway 66. In theillustrated embodiment, the tube end 70 of dispensing tube 68 remainsoutside of the spout opening 31 in spout 24 in the withdrawn position.

As actuator 174 moves downward under the influence of pump hammer 53, ameasured dosage of fluid soap is dispensed from tube end 70 of elongateddispensing tube 68, even as tube 68 is moving to its withdrawn position.Referring to FIG. 20, pump mechanism 65, in the illustrated embodiment,is a self-priming pump in which the pump mechanism and dispensing tube242 are filled with fluid soap prior to actuation of the pump mechanism.As actuator 174 moves downward, pump mechanism 65 forces upward thefluid soap in the pump mechanism, and compresses spring 236. Ball cocks206 and 232 move upward, causing additional fluid soap to be advancedthrough inlet tube 242, past ball cock 232, and into chamber 218. Ballcock 206 rises up, but its upward movement is limited when ball cock 206abuts landing 204 of timing shaft 196.

As pump hammer 53 reaches its limit of clockwise rotation, the motor 49stalls, and spring 236 (FIG. 20) forces pump mechanism 65, actuator 174and dispensing tube 68 in an upward direction, causing fluid soap tofill the interior of pump mechanism 65 and dispensing tube 68. Ball cock206 moves to its closed position over aperture 214. The time ball cock206 takes to move from landing 204 to V-shaped trough 216 determines theamount of soap dispensed in a single actuation of pump mechanism 65.

Referring to FIG. 18, when soap is being dispensed by pump mechanism 65,fluid soap passes through openings 202 and around timing shaft 196 inactuator 174. Upon actuation of pump mechanism 65, fluid soap isdispensed from tube end 70 of tube 68 in a continuous stream as the tube68 is retracted toward the spout 24. When the motor 49 stalls, asdescribed above, spring 236 (FIG. 20), which was compressed during soapdelivery, causes pump chamber 218 to expand as the dispensing tube 68returns back out of the spout opening 31 in the spout 24. Thecombination of the expansion of pump chamber 218 and the forward motionof the dispensing tube causes the fluid soap exiting the tube end 70 tobe sucked back in at the return of tube 68. This catches a string ofsoap in the tube 68 which would otherwise drip down after the main soapdelivery function. This mode of operation also prevents dripping andresidue buildup between uses and cleanings of the soap dispenser.

The foregoing description of illustrated embodiment of the invention hasbeen presented for purposes of description, and is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Thedescription was selected to best explain the principles of the inventionand practical application of these principals to enable others skilledin the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments andvarious modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.It is intended that the scope of the invention not be limited tospecification, but be defined by the subject matter of the claims setforth below.

What is claimed is:
 1. In a fluid dispensing system, a mounting clipadapted to couple a motor housing and support assembly to a reservoirmodule, the mounting clip comprising: a flange; a lower plate defining aperimeter about an axis and having a plurality of protuberances thatextend from the lower plate perimeter towards the axis, wherein twoadjacent protuberances define a space; and a wall disposed between theflange and the lower plate to define a channel.
 2. The mounting clip ofclaim 1, further comprising: a stop member disposed in the channel. 3.By The mounting clip of claim 2, wherein the stop member is disposedabove a protuberance at a position that is adjacent to a space.
 4. Themounting clip of claim 1, wherein the flange defines a perimeter, theflange having two opposing nubs disposed on the perimeter of the flange.5. The mounting clip of claim 1, wherein at least one protuberanceincludes at least one friction surface, wherein the at least onefriction surface includes an indentation at an end of the at least onefriction surface.
 6. The mounting clip of claim 5, wherein the lowerplate includes an opening disposed through the lower plate.
 7. In afluid dispensing system, a mounting clip adapted to couple a motorhousing and support assembly to a reservoir module, the mounting clipcomprising: a flange; a lower plate defining a substantially continuousperimeter about an axis and having a plurality of alternatingprotrusions and indentations that extend from the lower plate perimetertowards the axis; and a wall disposed between the flange and the lowerplate to define a channel.
 8. The mounting clip of claim 1 wherein saidperimeter is substantially circular.
 9. The mounting clip of claim 7further comprising a stop member disposed in said channel.
 10. In afluid dispensing system comprising: a motor housing; a support assembly;a reservoir module; and a mounting clip, said mounting clip comprising aflange, a lower plate defining a perimeter having an axis therethrough,said perimeter having a plurality of alternating protrusions andgrooves, and a wall disposed between the flange and the lower plate todefine a channel; wherein said mounting clip removably affixes saidmotor housing and support assembly to said reservoir module.
 11. Thefluid dispensing system of claim 10 further comprising at least onefriction surface on at least one of said protrusions.